OPINION
Newcastle United must have Nottingham Forest midfielder Joao Carvalho on their radar as he is a player that could flourish at St James Park.
The 21-year-old Portuguese gem is blossoming in the Championship with Forest this season after joining them from Benfica in the summer and looks capable of one day stepping up to excel in the Premier League.
Carvalho has featured seven times for Aitor Karanka’s side this season, assisting one goal in his outing, and already looks to have establish himself in their first-team.
Magpies scouts were reportedly in attendance of Portugal U-21’s latest clash against Wales’ U-21s on Tuesday and Carvalho played a starring role for his nation as they went on to secure a 2-0 victory.
Carvalho may not have registered a goal or an assist but he oozed class as he appeared to be a vital cog in Portugal’s U-21 team.
ClubCall reported that a Magpies scout was spotted at the game, which took place at the Cardiff City Stadium, and suggested that the club could potentially be tracking some talented Portuguese players.
Following his latest display Carvalho surely must be one of the hot prospect being tracked as that’s not the first time the club should have noticed him this season.
The 21-year-old excelled when playing for Forest against the Magpies in the EFL Cup in August as he was a constant pest that Rafa Benitez’s simply couldn’t deal with.
Carvalho is a fantastic crosser of the ball and has the ability to dribble past his opponents with ease as his fancy footwork allows him to manoeuvre the ball in tight spaces even when the opposition swarm around him.
The midfield gem is only set to get better given his age as he picks up vital experience but it’s clear that it won’t be long before he could be an attacking asset to a team like the Magpies.
While the 21-year-old may have only joined Forest in the summer and have a contract that doesn’t expire until 2023, that doesn’t mean the Magpies should be jotting his name down as they form a list of potential future transfer targets.
Therefore this means the midfielder who is currently blossoming at the City Ground must be on the Magpies’ radar after their reported transfer mission to check out the promising talents currently featuring for Wales and Portugal’s U21s’ sides.
